Shannon Stirnweis (B. 1931) "Telegraph Line"

Shannon Stirnweis (B. 1931) "Telegraph Line Construction" Signed lower right. Original Oil on painting Illustration Board.

Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation.

This painting originally appeared in the Fleetwood Trails West Collection of Fine Art Prints as "Talking Wires Unite Nation" published in 1983.

The advancement of Communication Systems that could carry messages across America's Great Plains came as quick as a whirlwind. First, stage lines carried mail from Missouri to the Pacific Coast in twenty-five days .. then the Pony Express cut the carrying time to nine days. Yet, even before this courier system was well established, telegraph lines were already crossing the vast plains and mountains of America. On June 16, 1980, Congress passed an act to "facilitate communications between the Atlantic and Pacific states by electric telegraph." The act specified the completion of the line by July 31, 1862. With thelegraph line already stretching as far west as Omaha, Nebraska, it was decided to begin construction at both ends and meet in Salt Lake City, Utah. When the great transcontinental line was begun in the spring of 1861, the builders of the western end were only four hundred miles from Salt Lake City. But the eastern section need to cross twice as many miles. Setting the first poles in place on July 2, 1861, the eastern crew thought it impossible to complete the awesome task by July 31, 1862. However, they worked at a frantic pace, and actually finished laying their telegraph wire to Salt Lake City four days before the western crew. Thus, transcontinental telegraphic communications became a reality a full nine months ahead of schedule on October 24, 1861.

Image Size: 18 x 21 in.
Overall Size: 22 x 24.75 in.
Unframed.
(B07253)
Condition Report: - By registering to bid for this auction either in-house or online and/or placing a bid in this auction the BIDDER/BUYER agrees to all the terms and conditions of Helmuth Stone Gallery Auctions.
- All silver, gold and/or jewelry lots or invoices containing said lots MUST be paid for via wire transfer or cashier’s check, no other forms of payment will be accepted.
- All sales are final; no refunds will be given under any circumstances.
- Helmuth Stone Gallery provides condition reports as a courtesy to our clients and assumes no liability for any error or omission. Any condition statement is given as a courtesy to a client and is only an opinion and should not be treated as a statement of fact. Descriptions are our opinions and should in no way be construed as a guarantee of any kind as to age, condition, mater. The bidder assumes responsibility for ensuring that the condition of the item(s) meets with their satisfaction prior to bidding. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition or completely free from wear and tear, imperfections or the effects of aging.
- Online images can sometimes be low quality due to the uploading process, original high-resolution images can be requested via email at HelmuthStone@gmail.com
- We recommend looking into shipping quotes prior to bidding, shipping quotes can take up to a week or more post-sale as we host our auctions through 6 online platforms and shipping can become backlogged, if you would like a list of local shippers please email us directly.
- Our auction catalogs are hosted through multiple online platforms along with phone and in-house bidding. Bids placed on other platforms are not shown through this catalog. Because of this, even if it appears you are the only absentee bid or bidder on a lot, you may already be out bid or may have placed a bid equal to another bidder. Therefore, we always recommend bidding live.